I looked in to the Jones bars too. It was a tough call between those and butterfly bars; for snow, I'd rather have the Jones bars too.

I've found that this type of setup makes me sit more on my sit bones; did you do anything to alleviate butt soreness on this rig? (I change my technique a little to stand up off the pedals more but other than that haven't found a seat I like)

Interestingly i have not changed much up on the BG initial build other then handlebar and rear brake and must say the seat that came with the bike is very comfortable. I have been riding since first week of November and have yet to have any tingling or numbness due to seat/bar position. Very happy with set-up to date

If you are having discomfort i would highly recomend the adamo ism seats their mountain specific model is the peak i will never go back to a different saddle Adamo Peak | Ideal Saddle Modification

Originally Posted by Derek.Endress

Interestingly i have not changed much up on the BG initial build other then handlebar and rear brake and must say the seat that came with the bike is very comfortable. I have been riding since first week of November and have yet to have any tingling or numbness due to seat/bar position. Very happy with set-up to date

very cool bike and setup Derek. last time we saw you was '99 when we came up and did the Atlin lake trip. good luck and looking forward to seeing pics of the trip.

henric

Thanks Henric! Had to think it thru as to who you were, not too much though Good to hear from you and will post pics as they come. Weather has taken a dive up here so may have to do something a little different now, oh well!!

using the MT1800 as the guinea pig for my touring/bikepacking rigs, with my home made lashing straps holding the compression bag (which has my tent, sleep bag, sleep pad, stakes, rope, poles); and redid the pannier bags' interior layouts, I was able to get 2 days worth of clothes, 2x 2 quart canteens, 1 canteen stove and canteen cup, a couple ramen noodle packages, some jerky, a can of soup, and for the snacks, I put granola bars into the first aid kit pouch behind the seat, along with lighter and waterproof matches in a watertight container, as well as the fuel tabs for the canteen stove; I believe I do not need much anything else right now for 2-3 days of riding/camping..... I plan on getting a water bottle and maybe lash two nalgene bottle carriers if I can find them to the fork blades, or rig up a way to use the MOLLE nalgene bottle carriers that I can get locally...

my home made lashing straps; material was free from a previous sewing project lol

for touring/getting to hotel/friends houses/overnighters, I would have no food and less clothes, and no tent set up; a much lighter set up with less stuff to worry about;

How I rolled last weekend for a 2 day trip, tent, fly, summer bag, fleece blanket, clothes, water filter, cook kit, and one bottle on the bike. Food, 100oz of water, snacks, phone/wallet/keys/tools, and a rain jacket in a Camelbak Hawg NV

waiting on a bracket for the old schwinn rack...(if I don't get it soon enough, I might break down and get one of those seat post clamps with rack eyelets for my Topeak rack...)
here is the set up I currently am using as a day-rider.... on an 80s Huffy.

some army bag up front; it holds a blanket, a canteen cup, some food, compact grill( a meatloaf pan with charcoal bricks and a small grill top), compact rain coat, and then two 2 qt canteens on the frame.

Is that an Ogre, LostBoyScout? Excellent bike. That was my touring cycle of choice last summer. I loved how solid it always felt.
I'm in Illinois, and we're supposed to get 6-10 inches of wintery mix tonight.
"Wintery mix" indeed.
That flippin' groundhog lied.

Camo — did you paint that bike desert storm tan? And you're wearing an army helmet? Probably scaring the crap out of the locals somewhere!

no........ the paint is technically called " Satin Nutmeg Brown", but it is a close match to the Coyote Tan paint used on newer vehicles, which is a darker shade than the khaki sand tan used on desert storm vehicles... and the helmet is not an army helmet, it's a replica that has a sticker inside it saying it's rated for SNELL, and from what I could find out, it's basically a BMX helmet that just happens to be shaped like an army helmet, popular with airsofters....it will get replaced with something more like a Pro-Tec or Giro helmet.. and I got a different rack on it; so pretty soon I will be camping and seeing how this work
the large panniers holds my clothes and food, the front bag holds a light rain jacket and small foods and canteen stove and fuel, the smaller rack bags holds misc things

close up of the rear area; I realize it looks like the stuff will impact the brakes, but I made sure it doesn't, and so far it hasn't put any stress on the brake caliper arms.
the tool/goggle bag, it holds my army goggles, and tools, bandana, and a couple rags
the top front of the rack showing weight limit and two center screws holding the mount strut which is not of high quality..it'll get replaced by something much more sturdier

The Topeak rack stays solid, I've used it a dozen times now and have not had a problem with it slipping or spinning. It comes with rubber grommets to match your seatpost size and just clamp the ever living piss outa the q/r and it won't move. I use it on two different bikes with two different diameter seatposts and it stays put.

That being said, its heavy as all hell. Still, I like it.

Goodluck with yours, I recommend them if you don't want to go with a full rack or seatbag!

The Topeak rack stays solid, I've used it a dozen times now and have not had a problem with it slipping or spinning. It comes with rubber grommets to match your seatpost size and just clamp the ever living piss outa the q/r and it won't move. I use it on two different bikes with two different diameter seatposts and it stays put.

That being said, its heavy as all hell. Still, I like it.

Goodluck with yours, I recommend them if you don't want to go with a full rack or seatbag!